Ayer's twin, teenage sons returned from school on Oct. 30, 2007, to find the home on fire and called 911. Firefighters discovered the woman's burned body in her upstairs bedroom. Norton was arrested later that night, holed up in a Norcross hotel.

The killing concluded a rocky, three-year relationship tainted by Norton's jealousy and abusiveness, prosecutors maintained. He'd pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year's probation two months prior to the killing for battering Ayer and preventing her from calling police.

Norton's attorney, John Rutkowski, clung to the theory that Ayer had threatened Norton with the shotgun, and that the fatal shot was accidental.

Rutkowski didn't deny that his client set the home ablaze, but said his intentions were to prevent Ayer's sons from discovering her body.